"You're really sure you want to give me these swords? They're worth quite a bit." Yang Kai looked at Mo Xiaoqi and asked with a frown.
"If Brother Yang feels it's not appropriate, I can trade you the Heavy Tassel Ruler for them!" Xu Qing offered eagerly from the side. He wasn't stupid—he could clearly see the gap in value between the Heavy Tassel Ruler and these twin swords.
Yang Kai glanced at him and gave a cold smile.
Xu Qing's face flushed with embarrassment, and he scratched his head awkwardly.
But Mo Xiaoqi simply smiled and said, "I don't have any artifacts that Brother Yang needs though—these swords are the only thing that barely fits the bill. If Brother Yang doesn't mind, please accept them."
"Ahem… Since you put it that way, it would be rude of me to refuse." Yang Kai took the Purple-Green Twin Swords from Mo Xiaoqi's hand and casually tossed them into his Mystic Realm Pearl, sending them over to the Demon Insect Queen to familiarize herself with and refine the artifact.
Only then did Xu Qing and Yu Ruomei finally tear their reluctant gazes away. However, now that they remembered the wealthy patron was right beside them and there might be more rewards waiting, they calmed down. They exchanged a glance, and something seemed to pass between their eyes in unspoken communication.
Mo Xiaoqi was completely oblivious to this scene. Seeing that all three had accepted her gifts, she beamed with delight and said, "Then it's settled? If we manage to catch that little thing later, I trust everyone will honor their word. Xiaoqi will have additional thanks for you all."
"Of course, of course." Xu Qing's face was once again plastered with a warm smile.
"No time to waste—let's go," Yang Kai urged. During their discussion, quite a few teams had already gathered and headed into Yuqing Mountain. He was worried about Liu Yan's condition and couldn't wait to find her quickly.
"Follow me." Mo Xiaoqi spun around and took the lead.
"Brother Yang, please!" Xu Qing gestured with a beaming smile.
Yang Kai said calmly, "You two go ahead—I'll bring up the rear."
Xu Qing smiled faintly and didn't argue. "In that case, we'll trouble Brother Yang."
With that, he hurried forward. Yu Ruomei gave Yang Kai a slight nod before walking into Yuqing Mountain. Yang Kai glanced around and was the last to enter.
Yuqing Mountain—the mountain range stretched for countless thousands of miles, its forests deep and dark, teeming with savage beasts. However, all four of them were Void King Stage Three warriors, so even a Dao Source Realm demon beast would stand no chance against them combined. They felt little fear, and since they hadn't ventured deep into the mountain's interior, there were no truly powerful beasts here.
Mo Xiaoqi seemed to genuinely know the fire bird's location. Once inside Yuqing Mountain, she didn't need to get her bearings at all—she simply led everyone straight ahead at remarkable speed.
Her performance gave Yang Kai a bit more confidence in her.
What puzzled Yang Kai, however, was that Mo Xiaoqi showed absolutely no signs of guarding against the other three as they traveled. She seemed to genuinely trust them completely.
Meanwhile, sandwiched between them, Xu Qing and Yu Ruomei exchanged faint, concealed fluctuations of soul force—clearly communicating secretly.
How laughable that they thought their movements were discreet. But against Yang Kai's powerful divine sense—far beyond what any Void King Stage Three warrior should possess—they were completely transparent.
Within this group, Mo Xiaoqi's origins were a mystery, Xu Qing and Yu Ruomei were up to something shady, and Yang Kai had his own calculations. It remained to be seen who would have the last laugh.
Along the way, they could occasionally hear the distant sound of people flying through the air—other teams searching for the fire bird's trail.
But as time passed, such sounds grew fewer and fewer, and the four of them ventured ever deeper into Yuqing Mountain's interior.
After a full half-day of travel, Mo Xiaoqi, who had been leading from the front, suddenly halted. The other three stopped immediately as well.
"The last time I saw it was in the mountain hollow up ahead. Everyone, prepare yourselves for battle." Mo Xiaoqi reminded them.
Xu Qing and Yu Ruomei nodded, secretly channeling their energy, ready to strike at any moment.
But Yang Kai's brow furrowed deeply. If Liu Yan were truly ahead, he should have sensed her by now. Yet he hadn't felt Liu Yan's aura at all. There were only two possibilities.
One was that Liu Yan had already left the mountain hollow and relocated somewhere else.
The second possibility—one Yang Kai didn't want to contemplate—was that whatever was inside Yuqing Mountain was not Liu Yan, which was why he couldn't sense her.
Mo Xiaoqi had already activated a concealment technique, suppressing her aura and energy fluctuations. Xu Qing and Yu Ruomei did the same.
The three techniques were all different, but the gap in quality was immediately obvious.
After activating her technique, Mo Xiaoqi's aura and life force vanished completely. Without using one's eyes, even Yang Kai would have difficulty detecting her—which spoke volumes about the extraordinary grade of the technique she cultivated.
Xu Qing and Yu Ruomei fell considerably short by comparison. By Yang Kai's standards, their techniques were decent enough, but they couldn't hold a candle to Mo Xiaoqi's.
Yang Kai also activated his own aura-concealing technique.
Void!
However, he didn't unleash the full power of Void—only a weakened version. This way, while remaining sufficiently concealed, he wouldn't risk exposing his spatial ability.
What Yang Kai never anticipated was that the moment he deployed this reduced version of his Void technique, Mo Xiaoqi up ahead actually turned her head to glance at him. Her beautiful eyes flickered with a hint of confusion before she turned back with a puzzled expression.